owner operator truck drivers
Status Transportation Reviews Trucking Safety Pointers
05/16/2017
best owner operator companies
Steps to finding the best owner operator companies
06/29/2017

Owner operator trucking companies and Florida’s Intrastate ELD mandate

Status Transportation - Owner Operator Trucking Companies

Status Transportation - Owner Operator Trucking Companies

Florida Senate

Florida Senate

As of May, 2017, the Florida Senate is reviewing a bill that will postpone the federal ELD mandate for intrastate truckers until December 31st, 2018. This exemption will only apply to motor carriers or owner operator companies engaged in intrastate commerce exclusively in Florida. Also, it is important to note this applies only to owner operator trucking companies or truckers not transporting any type of hazardous materials in amounts that require placarding.

Florida’s Intrastate ELD exemptions

As part of the bill, in-state hours guidelines consist of higher limitations than the interstate guideline. The weekly 34 consecutive off-duty hours marking the limit of 7 or 8 consecutive days do not apply for intrastate truckers during harvest season. That is only if they are transporting unprocessed agricultural products to a processing or storage place during harvest season. This also applies when transporting unprocessed foods from the place of harvest directly to a market. One condition under this bill for the exemption to apply is that the commercial motor vehicle must remain within a 150-mile radius from its base.

Texas’ Intrastate ELD Guidelines

Texas was the very first state to provide an ELD requirement for intrastate truckers. The state recently changed its HOS code making it necessary for intrastate drivers and owner operator trucking companies to utilize ELDs by December 19, 2019. Texas does not provide a great deal of in-depth info about its latest policies. Instead, Texas is primarily turning to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s ELD mandate and its numerous guidelines. Although Florida and Texas share a set of higher limitations for in-state HOS guidelines, these same guidelines vary in other states with considerable intrastate markets, such as California and Alaska.

Independent truckers in smaller sized states will likely follow interstate guidelines. This is in order to maintain a high owner operator pay. More than not trucking companies hiring owner operators will embrace the interstate ELD mandate if they want to provide the highest paying owner operator jobs.

Are you ready for the upcoming Interstate Electronic Logging Device mandate?

Status Transportation - Owner Operator Trucking Companies

Owner Operator Truck Driver learning to use Electronic Logging Device

The due date is a tad under 6 months away from now. If you haven’t made the switch from paper logs to an ELD talk to your dispatcher or the Status Transportation Safety Department today. Our safety team is always ready to assist owner operators and helps them to remain compliant with DOT guidelines and policies.

Status Transportation owner operators can schedule a brief 2-hour appointment at our shop in Atlanta, GA or Winter Garden, FL. to have their ELD units installed. A safety team member will walk you through the process and show you how to work with it.

Comments are closed.